Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐνταῦθα κείσθω· τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον, 1 τάχα ἀν’] + καὶ e ǁ 4 καταβεβλακευμενοις] κατεβλ. acf ‘duo Colb. Or. 1’ || 6 γεννητὴ] γενητὴ abc || 11 p, τε c 1. εἰ καὶ μὴ μ., ἀλλ’ ἀμ’. γε] μετρίως is here a word of approbation, ‘if not satisfactorily, yet dimly at any rate.’ 4. μὴ ὅτι] ‘not to speak ’ cp. § 11. Καταβεβλ. from βλάξ, which is thought to be a collateral form of μαλακός, ‘slack,’ ‘enfeebled,’ ‘enervated.’ 6. γεννητῇ] not= γενητὴ ‘created,’ for Gr. goes on to speak of the higher created intelligences as a separate class afterwards; but strictly ‘begotten’ or ‘born,’ i.e. existing under physical conditions, the effect of which is described in the following clause. 7. ἐπιπροσθεῖ] The verb is formed from the adv. ἐπίπροσθεν: ‘to be in front of,’ so ‘get in the way of.’ Wyttenbach collects many instances of its use in his note on Plut. de Recta And. Ratione p. 41 C. ib. σαρκίον] the diminutive ex- presses depreciation. 8. πρός] ‘in reference to,’ it comes to a matter οf.’ ib. οὐκ οἴδα δέ, εἰ μὴ] of course indicates Gr.’s opinion that it is impossible. This was the general opinion. Cp. Chrys. Horn, de Incomprehensibili iii 1 τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον ἀγγέλοις, τὸν ἀνεξερεύνητον ἀρχαγγέλοις, τὸν ἀθέατον τοῖς σεραφίμ, τὸν ἀκατανόητον τοῖς χερουβίμ, τὸν ἀόρατον ἀρχαῖς καἰ ἐξουσίαις λαὶ δυνάμεσι καὶ ἁπλῶς πάση τῇ κτίσει. 10. τυχὸν ἂν καὶ τρανοῖντο] Τρανόω, a favourite word of Gr.'s, usually = ‘to make plain’ (e.g. § 20). as τρανός is sometimes used in the more active sense of ‘clear,’ i.e. of penetrating intelligence (e.g. Wisd. vii 22), it seems best to understand τρανοῖντο here in that way, ‘gifted with insight and intelligence.’ 12. ἐκτυπώτερον] ‘ more expressly,’ ’distinctly.’ 5. The works of God are beyond our present comprehension, much more Himself; we can only affirm for certain that He exists. 14. κείσθω] ‘be dropped.’ He not wish to pursue the question with regard to the superior intelligences: τὸ δὲ ἠμ’. ‘but as concerning us.’ οὐχ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ μόνον ὑπερέχει πάντα νοῦν καὶ κατάληψιν, οὐδὲ ὅσα τοῖς δικαίοις ἐστὶν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἀποκείμενα, τὰ μήτε ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρατά, μήτε ὠσὶν ἀκουστά, μήτε διανοίᾳ θεωρητά, κατὰ μικρὸν γοῦν, οὐδὲ ἡ τῆς κτίσεως ἀκριβὴς κατανόησις· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτης πείσθητι τὰς σκιὰς ἔχειν μόνον, ὅταν ἀκούσῃς· ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς, ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας, καὶ τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς πάγιον λόγον· ὡς οὐχὶ νῦν ὁρῶν, ὀψόμενος δὲ ἔστιν ὅτε· ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρὸ τούτων ἡ ὑπὲρ ταῦτα, καὶ ἐξ ἧς ταῦτα, φύσις ἄληπτός τε καὶ ἀπερίληπτος· λέγω δέ, οὐχ ὅτι ἔστιν, ἀλλ’ ἥτις ἐστίν. οὐ γὰρ κενὸν τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ ματαία ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ δογματίζομεν· μὴ πάλιν τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην ἡμῶν ἀθείας λάβῃς ἀρχὴν καὶ συκοφαντίας, καὶ κατεπαρθῇς ὡς ὁμολο- 5. 2 ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἐστιν d || 8 πάγιον] πανάγιον e || 10 om ταύτα φύσις . . . .λεγω δε d 1. ὑπερέχει π. νοῦν] Phil, iv 7. 3."/> μήτε ὀφθ. ὁρατά κτλ.] 1 Cor. ii 9. Gr. forgets, as most people do, that St Paul adds ἡμῖν γὰρ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θ. διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. 4. κατὰ μικρὸν γοῦν] Γοῦν corrects, but limits the concession; ‘not contemplated by the mind— well, only to small estent.’ 6. τὰς σκιάς] ‘the outlines.’ ib. ὄψομαι κτλ.] Ps. viii 4 (3). 8. τ. ἐν αὐτ’. πάγιον λόγον] πάγιος from the root of πήγνυμι, ‘firm,’ ‘fixed’; ‘the well established order that prevails among them.’ words are a paraphrase of ‘which thou hast ordained.’ ib. ὀψόμενος δὲ ἐστιν ὅτε] Gr. calls attention to the fact that the Ps. uses the future, not the present. 9. ἢ ὑπὲρ τ....φύσις] ὑπερέχει πάντα νοῦν. It is a little odd to say, “note only the peace of God, but God Himself, passeth understanding.’’ We might have expected, ‘If the peace of God passeth understanding, much more God Himself.’’ 10. ἄληπτός τε κ.ἀπερίλ.] ‘inapprehensible as it is and incomprehensible.’ 11 οὐχ ὅτι ἐστιν, ἁλλ’ ἥτις ἐστίν] may be taken either with ἄληπτος κ. ἀπερίληπτος, or with the main verb ὑπερέχει π. νοῦν. Perh. the latter is the more forcible: ‘Ι do not mean that the fact of its existence passes understanding, but the nature of it.’ ib. οὐ γὰρ κενόν κτλ.] 1 Cor. xv 14, 17. The γὰρ implies that it would be ‘vain’ if we were unable truly to apprehend the fact of God's existence. 13. ὃ δογματίζομεν] ‘nor is that the doctrine which I am laying down.’ ib. εὐγνωμοσύνην] Cp. εὐγνώμονος above, i 5. It resembles ἐπιείκεια, ‘reasonableness.’ Μὴ πάλιν, cp. i 4 μὴ πάλιν ἐπιφυέσθωσαν. 14. κατεπαρθῇς] ‘exalt yourself against me.’ Cp. Cyr. Al. c. Ful. i p. 6. γούντων τὴν ἄγνοιαν. πλεῖστον γὰρ διαφέρει τοῦ εἶναί τι πεπεῖσθαι τὸ τί ποτέ ἐστι τοῦτο εἰδέναι.